How the Red Tide
Swept the Philippine Shores,
and the founding of
Hukbalahap
By Apolinario Villalobos
During the American regime, the “freedom” that was
introduced, developed political consciousness among the learned but poor
Filipinos - city dwellers and sons of peasants. They joined hands and welded
together the laborers of the city and peasants of the provinces, resulting to
the sprouting of labor unions. The consciousness was further fanned by
inspirations that came in the form of literary works such as novels and dramas.
1922 saw the organization of “Confederacion de Aparceros y
Obreros Agricolas de Filipinas (Philippine Confederation of Tenants and
Agricultural Workers), by Jacinto Manahan. It was renamed Katipunang Pambansa
ng mga Magbubukid sa Pilipinas (National Peasants Union of the Philippines),
two years later. The union joined forces with the already organized Philippine
Labor Congress to become the formidable tool of the working class during the
time.
Leaders of the Philippine Labor Congress (PLC) attended a
trade conference in 1928, in Canton, China which was sponsored by the
communists. When they returned, they formed the Labor Party, at the same time
affiliating the “mother organization”, Philippine Labor Congress with the Red
International of Labor Unions. This move transformed the PLC into a
communist-oriented union.
In 1929, disagreements ensued within the PLC on policy
matters which led to the departure of Crisanto Evangelista who founded the
Katipunan ng mga Anak-pawis ng Pilipinas (Congress of Philippine Workingmen).
The other leaders, Ruperto S. Cristobal and Antonio Paguia remained with the
PLC. Evangelista moved further on by founding Partido Comunista (Communist
Party) with Jacinto Manahan, using the Russian ideology as their model. The
Communist Party assumed a tolerable image until 1932, during which the Supreme
Court declared it to be an illegal association. This did not deter the party
from working with the peasants and laborers discreetly. The members were
eventually imprisoned.
Meanwhile, on the same year of 1929, Pedro Abad Santos, who
belonged to the cultured and learned class of Pampanga, founded the Socialist
Party, together with the “Aguman Ding Maldang Talapagobra” (Workers’ and
Peasants’ Union) or AMT. The Socialist Party was used by the AMT as its
political arm which did not gain fame until after 1932. It operated openly as
it was sanctioned by the government, unlike the Communist Party whose
illegality led to the imprisonment of its members.
In 1932, when the imprisoned members of the Communist Party
were released, it merged with the Socialist Party. The merging led to the
impression that even the non-communist members of the Socialist Party, were
also communists. Nonetheless, from then on, the group developed to become a
sophisticated working class in Central Luzon, aside from becoming more
militant.
When war broke out in the Pacific in December 8, 1941, the
Philippines was dragged into it. Later on, the retreat of the combined US and
Philippine forces to Corregidor and eventual defeat, throw the whole country
into confusion. By instinct, the peasants of Pampanga organized a “militia” to
protect themselves against the occupying Japanese forces.
The peasant leaders met in February 1942 at barrio Bakwit,
Cabiao, Nuevea Ecija. It was attended by Luis Taruc, Juan Feleo, Casto
Alejandrino, Matelo del Castillo, F. Sampanga, Jose de Leon, Lino Dizon,
Eusebio Aquino, and Mariano Franco. They decided on a “united front” against
the aggressors, with the battlecry “Anti-Japanese Above All”. They laid down
their three-pronged policy, as: economic (development of all means of providing
the people with sustenance and at the same time to sabotage Japanese effort to
loot the country); political (discredit the “puppet regime” and destroy its
influence); and, military (harass the Japanese).
The peasant leaders met again in a forest between Tarlac,
Pampanga, and Nueva Ecija in March 29, 1942, to finalize their organization
which assumed tha name, “HUKBO NG BAYAN LABAN SA HAPON” or HUKBALAHAP. Its
Military Committee was composed of Luis Taruc, Banal (Bernardo Poblete), Casto
Alejandrino, and Felipa Culala (Dayang-dayang). Taruc was elected as the
chairman with Alejandrino as his deputy.
Unfortunately, Hukbalahap which was originally meant to
fight the Japanese aggressors was discredited due to politics and insecurities
of the landlords, pushed to the corner, until it finally went underground to
fight the unfair policies of the government. The abused peasants with the grain
of communistic idealism already planted in their consciousness had no choice
but lean on the support that propped them up since before the onset of the
WWII. The events that followed were more than expected…
